LeBron James Previews Kendrick Lamar's 'DAMN.'
On the eve of Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. release, LeBron James unleashes some fiery snippets from the highly-anticipated album.
On Thursday (April 13), the Cleveland Cavaliers star aired portions of the follow-up to 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly on Instagram Stories. “Uh oh,” he wrote. “Appreciate the love KDot and Top Dog! Playoff vibe.”
Then, he appeared to play a sequence of lines from “ELEMENT.,” the fourth track on DAMN. “Bitch, all my grandmas dead,” raps Kendrick. “So ain’t nobody praying for me, I’m on your head.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_rKRfh_Xhs
Kung Fu Kenny aims some more harsh lyrics at his detractors: “I don’t do it for the ‘Gram / I do it for Compton / I’m willing to die for this shit, ni**a / I’ll take your fuckin’ life for this shit, ni**a.”
Keeping that vibe rolling, K-Dot appears to flex on the song’s melodic hook. “If I gotta stomp a pussy ass ni**a, I’ma make it look sexy,” he raps. “If I gotta go hard on a bitch, I’ma make it look sexy.”
Staying on “ELEMENT.,” the track appears to share Kendrick’s commentary on To Pimp a Butterfly. “Last LP, I tried to lift up black artists,” he raps. “But there’s a difference between black artists and wack artists.”
After this, LeBron appeared to play a portion of the emotional “FEEL.,” which is the fifth song on DAMN. With a more rapid free-flowing cadence, K-Dot unleashes these bars: “I feel like a chip on my shoulders / I feel like I’m losing my focus / I feel like I’m losing my patience.”
LeBron has close ties with Top Dawg Entertainment. In fact, he’s reportedly one of the catalysts for last year’s untitled unmastered, which he requested on social media. He also shares a nickname with Kendrick: “King.”
James has also been a big supporter of music on Instagram Stories. In the past, he’s shared tracks (both released and unreleased) from the likes of Meek Mill, Nipsey Hussle, and Joe Budden.
Featuring appearances by Rihanna, U2, and Zacari, Lamar’s third major label album DAMN. is set to drop at midnight.